Deck 6: Social Learning Theory and Social Control Theort

Question 1

Which criminologist(s) wrote the first systematic textbook in U.S. criminology?

A) Sutherland
B) Bandura
C) Gottfredson and Hirschi
D) Charles Tittle

Answer 1

Sutherland

Question 2

According to Sutherland, how do people learn "definitions favorable to violating the law"?

A) By hearing others' favorable definitions toward crime
B) By learning the cultural lessons of greed and competition
C) By insisting that they get their own desires met at all times
D) By seeing others manipulate the system successfully for their own gain

Answer 2

A

Question 3

According to Sutherland, what two elements does the learning of criminal behavior include?

A) Opportunities and means
B) Techniques and opportunities
C) Justifications and opportunities
D) Justifications and techniques

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Problems with Sutherland's theory of differential association emerge when a researcher

A) develops antisocial tendencies.
B) explores the biological foundations of aberrant behavior.
C) digs more deeply into the psychology of individual criminals.
D) tries to empirically measure some of the concepts.

Question 5

In developing his theory of differential social organization, Sutherland was concerned about explaining

A) why crime rates vary within social groups.
B) both the content and process of criminal learning.
C) individual variations in criminal offending.
D) who is ultimately responsible for crime.

Question 6

According to Sutherland, differential social disorganization is produced by

A) waves of immigration, cultural stability, and political and economic individualism.
B) waves of immigration, cultural conflict, and political and economic security.
C) waves of immigration, cultural stability, and political and economic materialism.
D) waves of immigration, culture conflict, and an absence of traditional social control.

Question 7

What are the two types of social disorganization that Sutherland described?

A) anomie and consensus
B) mechanical and organic
C) lack of standards and conflict of standards
D) unclear standards and competing standards

Question 8

Social learning theory combines aspects of differential association theory as well as

A) positivist criminology.
B) behavioral psychology.
C) transpersonal psychology.
D) Marxist sociology.

Question 9

A basic premise of social learning theory is that social behavior is a

A) cognitive process in which conventional morality is the basis of right and wrong.
B) cognitive process in which spiritual convictions are acted upon.
C) result of living in confusing times.
D) cognitive process in which personality and environment reciprocally interact.

Question 10

Using behavioral psychology and applicable social learning theory, social behavior is reinforced

A) by individuals who assist in the development of those skills.
B) through a process of unconditional learning where that behavior is improved each time.
C) through a process of conditioned learning that emphasizes rewards or punishments.
D) through a process of guiding and coaxing into deviance.

Question 11

Which of the following is NOT one of the seven stages of learned behavior?

A) Criminal behavior is learned independent of any other stimuli.
B) Criminal behavior is learned in small groups that have a major influence on the individual.
C) Learning criminal behavior depends on the available and effective reinforcers within the individual's environment.
D) The strength of criminal behavior is a direct function of the amount, frequency, and probability of its reinforcement.

Question 12

According to Akers, social behavior is

A) strengthened by reward.
B) often unpredictable.
C) weakened by aversive stimuli.
D) both a and c.

Question 13

Suicide lends itself to a social learning analysis because

A) it illustrates that shooting is "masculine," whereas a drug overdose is "feminine."
B) individuals who commit suicide are teaching others how to do it.
C) the beginning and end of the act are clearly delineated in time.
D) people learn successful techniques and justifications for attempting suicide.

Question 14

In a recent revision of social learning theory, Akers included __________ variables in the analysis.

A) biological
B) cognitive
C) social-structural
D) cultural

Question 15

One serious dilemma of social learning theory has to do with

A) policy implications, which advocate controversial therapies.
B) generous praise for other theories.
C) how to treat "deviants" when they don't want to be treated.
D) reeducation for those whose learning is not appropriate.

Question 16

Hirschi believes that for a system of social control to be effective, children must fear

A) their parents.
B) punishment.
C) God.
D) each other.

Question 17

Which of the following is one of Hirschi's generalizations about juvenile delinquency?

A) Juveniles engage less in delinquency the more they are attached to their families.
B) Juveniles engage less in delinquency the better they perform in school.
C) Members of delinquent gangs do not have cohesive or warm associations with fellow gang members.
D) Hirschi made all of the above generalizations.

Question 18

Relying on "common sense," Hirschi believed that

A) children must be punished for their misdeeds.
B) children must never be punished for their misdeeds.
C) religious conversion results in delinquent behavior.
D) economic security frustrates children.

Question 19

Hirschi advocated that

A) childrearing classes be mandatory for all parents.
B) parents and teachers must cooperate for the well-being of children.
C) families should have incentives to raise conforming children.
D) all of the above.

Question 20

Hirschi has been criticized for being too

A) liberal.
B) conservative.
C) political.
D) empirical.

Question 21

Liberals disagree with Hirschi because they believe that corporal punishment

A) is the best means of instilling values.
B) is the only means of instilling values.
C) and crime rates are both symptoms of social problems; therefore, one cannot be the solution for the other.
D) and crime rates work at odds with each other for preventing delinquency.

Question 22

The theory of self-control, by Gottfredson and Hirschi, defines self-control as "the differential tendency of people to

A) do criminal acts in a variety of situations."
B) avoid criminal acts whatever the circumstances in which they find themselves."
C) do criminal acts in specific situations."
D) have illegitimate children."

Question 23

According to Gottfredson and Hirschi, low self-control coupled with __________ increase an individual's propensity to commit crime.

A) determination
B) free will
C) opportunity
D) physical strength

Question 24

Which of the following is one the five chief aspects of low self-control?

A) thrill seeking and pleasure avoidance
B) immediate gratification and thrill seeking
C) good work habits and regular church attendance
D) poor work habits and weekend warrior activities

Question 25

What are the causes of low self-control, according to Gottfredson and Hirschi?

A) retrogressive attitudes
B) cultural images of affluence
C) poor parenting
D) aggressiveness

Question 26

Proper parenting should include the following to ensure a healthy degree of self-control among children:

A) Strict and authoritarian controls on all aspects of children's lives and limited engagement in outside activities.
B) Liberal allowances for children to do what they want and learn from their own mistakes.
C) Monitoring children's behavior and reporting them to the police when they commit crimes.
D) Monitoring children's behavior, recognizing deviance when it happens, and punishing deviance appropriately.

Question 27

If low self-control is both a symptom and a cause of crime, then the theory of self-control is

A) tautological.
B) perfectly logical.
C) psychological.
D) sociological.

Question 28

Which of the following is among the four types of deviance outlined by Tittle's theory of control-balance?

A) innovation, rebellion, and retreatism
B) predation, exploitation, and plunder
C) normal, useful, and inevitable
D) demoralization and primitive rebellion

Question 29

Predation, as outlined in Tittle's control balance theory, refers to

A) theft, rape, homicide, robbery, and assault.
B) price-fixing, unsafe workplaces, influence peddling, and contract killing.
C) autocratic behavior, ethnic cleansing, and environmental destruction.
D) group sex with children, humiliating others for entertainment, and sadistic torture.

Question 30

Decadence, as outlined in Tittle's control-balance theory, refers to

A) theft, rape, homicide, robbery, and assault.
B) price-fixing, unsafe workplaces, influence peddling, and contract killing.
C) autocratic behavior, ethnic cleansing, and environmental destruction.
D) group sex with children, humiliating others for entertainment, and sadistic torture.

Question 31

Plunder, as outlined in Tittle's control balance theory, refers to

A) theft, rape, homicide, robbery, and assault.
B) price-fixing, unsafe workplaces, influence peddling, and contract killing.
C) autocratic behavior, ethnic cleansing, and environmental destruction.
D) group sex with children, humiliating others for entertainment, and sadistic torture.

Question 32

Exploitation, as outlined in Tittle's control balance theory, refers to

A) theft, rape, homicide, robbery, and assault.
B) price-fixing, unsafe workplaces, influence peddling, and contract killing.
C) autocratic behavior, ethnic cleansing, and environmental destruction.
D) group sex with children, humiliating others for entertainment, and sadistic torture.

Question 33

A control surplus occurs when an individual

A) exercises more control than he or she experiences.
B) experiences more control than he or she exercises.
C) has more power and authority than he or she knows how to handle.
D) has less power and authority than he or she knows how to handle.

Question 34

A control deficit occurs when an individual

A) exercises more control than he or she experiences.
B) experiences more control than she or he exercises.
C) has more power and authority than he or she knows how to handle.
D) has less power and authority than he or she knows how to handle.

Question 35

In which forms of deviance are individuals with control deficits likely to engage?

A) exploitation, defiance, and submission
B) predation, exploitation, and decadence
C) predation, defiance, and submission
D) exploitation, plunder, and decadence

Question 36

In which forms of deviance are individuals with control surpluses likely to engage?

A) exploitation, defiance, and submission
B) predation, exploitation, and decadence
C) predation, defiance, and submission
D) exploitation, plunder, and decadence

Question 37

Who among the following constructed a theory that rests on a seemingly biological premise?

A) Sutherland
B) Hirschi
C) Tittle
D) Agnew

Question 38

Which criminologist used longitudinal research to test Hirschi's theory and found that it does not explain serious forms of juvenile delinquency?

A) Sutherland
B) Tittle
C) Agnew
D) Skinner

Question 39

Which of the following is NOT a key concept in social control theory?

A) attachment
B) commitment
C) involvement
D) belief

Question 40

What have researchers found regarding the relationship between juvenile delinquency and sports?

A) Boys who do sports have lower levels of juvenile delinquency.
B) For boys, sports is unrelated to level of juvenile delinquency.
C) Girls who do sports have lower levels of juvenile delinquency.
D) Girls who do sports have higher levels of juvenile delinquency.

Question 41

The basic premise of the social learning theory is that social behavior is a cognitive process in which personality and environment engage in a continuous process of reciprocal interaction.

Question 42

According to Akers, surplus populations are created directly and indirectly.

Question 43

Using a social learning approach, criminal behavior is learned through direct conditioning or through imitation.

Question 44

Sutherland's differential association concept explains the origins of crime.

Question 45

Sutherland's differential social organization concept explains the transmission of crime.

Question 46

In his pioneering research, Sutherland found that every major corporation was involved in white-collar crime.

Question 47

With his identification of the differential association and social organization hypotheses, Sutherland was the first criminologist to attempt a general theory of crime.

Question 48

According to Gottfredson and Hirschi, low self-control keeps people out of trouble with the law.

Question 49

People with low self-control are sedate, intelligent, cerebral, and lead placid lives.

Question 50

People who suffer from control deficits are most likely to seek to increase them.

Question 51

People who experience more control than they exercise have a "control surplus."

Question 52

One advantage of Hirschi's theory is that it explains delinquency, white-collar crime, and political crime equally well.

Question 53

One problem with social control theory is its failure to address the effects of gender.

Question 54

Conservatives are more likely to support Hirschi's theory than liberals are.

Question 55

Church involvement has a stronger control effect on male juveniles than sports.

Question 56

Discuss two similarities and two differences between Sutherland's "differential association" and Aker's "differential reinforcement."

Question 57

Briefly explain and critique the two key concepts of social control theory.

Question 58

Compare and contrast Hirschi's social control theory with Gottfredson and Hirschi's self-control theory. (Note: Specify how many points the student should address for each theory.)

Question 59

Identify and illustrate the six types of deviance conceptualized by Tittle.